Books To Add To Your Holiday Jewelry Gift Lists

Books rich with information and dazzling photos are perfect gifts for the jewelry lover. See other books covered earlier in the season(here). All are available for you to consider before you hop over to your favorite independent bookstore or order online for the enthusiast or collector in your life.

A Passion for Plant Life

One of the most enchanting books I have had the pleasure of reading, started out as the companion book to Paris’ Végétal – L’École de la Beauté exhibition in partnership with Chaumet, which took place at the Palais des Beaux-Arts. It showcased approximately 80 high jewelry pieces, along with Haute Couture and paintings inspired by the intriguing allure of Botany. . Although the exhibit is over, the House of Chaumet has created Botanicals: Observing Beauty (JBE Books, 2022)which features some of the most awe-inspiring and legendary pieces of the house since its inception in 1780, alongside illustrations of the jewels and lavish plant life paintings as well as essays and dialogue by fashion designers, scientists, botanists and artists. This glorious tome takes the reader through wheatfields, forests, exotic gardens and more. The book features the renowned treasures and DNA of the house, including the acorn, ivy and wheat sheaf brooches, diamond oak leaf and pansy tiaras and the wheat leaf diamond tiara, created in 1811 for Empress Joséphine. If masterpiece jewels inspired by mother nature is your loved one’s passion, you can order the book through many independent shops, online stores and Amazon.

The Legend-Makers

Tiffany & Co. and Cartier & Co.: The Story Behind the Style (Bonnier Books UK, 2022) are two books that sound like just what they are—each offers a deep look into two of the most renowned houses from the 19^th century through modern day. A journalist for multiple magazines on both sides of the Atlantic, Rachael Taylor penned these two books that go behind the scenes of both brand’s world of luxury and star-studded moments through stories, anecdotes, periods and lush photographs. In Tiffany, you will discover how Charles Lewis Tiffany created the brand in 1837 and travel through time to how he purchased and sold some of the world’s top diamonds. You will meet the designers who graced the Tiffany studios—names like Donald Claflin, Paulding Farnum, Jean Schlumberger, Elsa Peretti and Paloma Picasso, to name just a few. And, how with each new decade, the house was able to shift to create current designs but would live on as renowned styles of the house. The making of the film Breakfast at Tiffany’s and how it elevated the store to iconic status—the coveted blue book of jewels, the Tiffany Diamond and the new guard of celebrities wearing and becoming ambassadors for the jewels are just some of the ground covered.

In Cartier, you will get to know more about the company’s involvement in the Art Deco movement, the Tutti-Fruitti style, the endless socialites, celebrities and royalties for which Cartier designed included such luminaries and Princess Grace of Monaco, The Duchess of Windsor, Elizabeth Taylor, Daisy Fellowes and more. And all of the iconic styles are covered, from the Cartier Tank watch to Aldo Cipullo’s design for Cartier of the Love Bracelet and all the iconic designs that came after.

These are handbag size books chock full of information. The size is another plus if your giftee is the type that likes to carry their books around from room to room or take them on vacation rather than have them sprayed out on a coffee table. Both books are available on Amazon UK. and arrive quickly in the U.S. and are accessibly priced for stocking stuffers or main gifts.

The Jewelry Guide: The Ultimate Compendium (Assouline, 2022)

French author and editor Fabienne Reybaud has created a jewelry tome that hits all of the high notes. It features a brief overview of the history of jewels, the legendary houses from the early 20^th century through modern day, and the iconic gems that range from the Hope Diamond to La Peregrina pearl. The grandeur of the jewels come alive through images which is one of the major highlights of the oversized coffee table books. They include original sketches, atelier photos of the pieces, and some of the best photography I have recently seen in a jewelry book. The book also provides readers with a glossary of terms, international museums, a buyer’s guide to investing in vintage jewels through different forums and a section on gemstones and diamonds. It is one of those books that your loved one will leave open and flip, stumbling on something new each time they do.